Letter to Samuel: 27 Months

Whew. Between facing the final weeks of pregnancy, prepping for a house full of holiday guests, and disciplining an increasingly opinionated toddler, December was an exhausting month! But it was also magical and memorable. Let’s find out what our Mr. Samuel has been up to this month.

Likes: Curious George. The Goldbug book (yes, still obsessed). Your first movie in the theatre! You especially loved the popcorn and Pepsi in a dinosaur cup. Baking, decorating, and eating Christmas cookies. Searching for Bobby the Elf every morning, and then enjoying the advent treat he left for you. Your new airplane and, especially, the drill that came with it. Shoveling snow with Daddy. Wearing your jammies all day. Climbing on furniture. Running laps around the house. Crashing cars. And challenging rules.

Dislikes: Nap time. Bedtime. And any attempt at quiet time.

Communication: You added so many Christmas words to your vocabulary this month: Santa, elf, reindeer, snowman, jingle bells. You almost always speak in complete thoughts and full sentences. And you have started to talk to baby sister on the phone, which is beyond adorable. You tell her all about your toys and how she will sit beside you in the car and that she gets the airplane and you get the digger truck. I do believe you think a little playmate is going to pop out of Mommy’s belly.

Milestones: We said bye-bye to the binky this month! It was a big deal and happened about three days earlier than we had planned. We had intended to coordinate its departure with the arrival of Sankt Nikoloaus on December 6th, but you chewed through your very last one earlier that week. And so instead of rushing to the store to restock, we asked you to put your “bees” in a box. You understood that the “bees broke,” and it was time to get rid of them. You fussed for less than 15 minutes that night before drifting off to sleep … and haven’t asked for them again since! You were rewarded the next morning with a new fire truck.

However, I do believe this is the reason that sleep has been incredibly challenging this month. It now takes up to an hour to get you down (not including bath time), and some nights you are awake until after 11pm. Naps now start anytime between noon and 3pm and last 20 minutes to 3 hours. Oh, how I miss your predictable routine! You have also mastered the art of stalling. You ask for “more books,” “more talk,” the “blue car,” the “race car,” “water,” “pretzels,” and sometimes even “mac and cheese.” You stand at the gate and yell for us and request that we “lay down in Sam’s bed.” It’s very exhausting for all of us!

The holidays didn’t help. And with baby sister due to arrive any day, I hesitate to implement any new “training” tactics until we adjust to life with a newborn. I know this is just another phase that will eventually pass, but that recognition never makes it feel any easier when you’re in the middle of it!

Behavior: While we’re on the topic of new challenges, let’s talk about your behavior. I don’t care for the term “terrible twos,” but I do believe we’ve entered them. You have become more opinionated and demanding and use a “mean voice” if we deny your ridiculous requests. You sometimes hit and kick and throw things if you don’t get what you want. You think spitting and slamming doors is funny. Basically, you break rules and test our patience on a daily basis.

And so we have had many discussions about how to best discipline you. Time-out is sometimes successful, and we use it to discuss your behavior and ask that you apologize. We constantly talk about “nice Sam” versus “mean Sam” or “crazy Sam.” And I do think you understand the difference. We also continuously remind ourselves that this is a common stage in development and as you become a more effective communicator, your behavior will improve.

Two isn’t always so terrible, though. The “I sorry”s and “I yuv you”s and “I miss you”s make all the crazies more tolerable. When you greet Daddy at the door with open arms and climb into my lap on the couch and tuck us both under your blanket, we are reminded that you are still our sweet and loving and innocent little man.

And so I try to keep things in perspective. I try to keep you active and stimulated and make sure you get enough sleep. And I try to appreciate your determination and independence. Mostly, I try to be completely present in these final days with you, little buddy, before baby sister is born.

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One thought on “Letter to Samuel: 27 Months”

I love reading Sam’s updates because he is so similar to my little guy who is a couple weeks younger than Sam. We are also in the thick of challenging bedtime. Some nights it takes up to 90 minutes to get him down…so challenging. But we are loving 2 and all that it brings. Lot of luck to you all with the arrival of your baby girl!!